On December 21^st, at the Regular Schedule Council meeting, Council passed the New Fees and Charges Bylaw to take effect on January 1st, 2024. There is no planned increase in the Water and Sewer cubic meter consumption rates in 2024, nor any increase in the bulk water and the recreation and culture fee. To facilitate the Town of Sedgewick’s overall operations, the recommended changes are to increase flat rate infrastructure fees and maintenance fees and introduce a Gas Distribution monthly fee on all monthly Utility billings, which will increase the average utility fees by $15.00 per month.

On December 21^st, at the Regular Schedule Council meeting, Council approved the Interim 2023 Operating Budget at $3,063,892 with amortization ( a non-cash item) and proposed transfers. Council is reviewing the possible Tax levy increase of 3% overall but has directed the administration to continue to find efficiencies and savings within the 2024 budget. The final capital and operational budget will be reviewed in May 2024 with the setting of the Tax Rate Bylaw.

On December 21, 2023, it was confirmed that bylaw enforcement had concluded serval cases with the voluntary removal of several dogs from the Town limits. Council is committed to the enforcement of animal control bylaws within the community and has advised the administration to increase the legal budget for prosecution in 2024 for future violations. Residents are encouraged to register their dogs before January 31st, 2024, to ensure they receive the 50% discount for registration. After January 31^st, 2024, full rates apply

With the Flagstaff Fresh Market set to touch down on 47th Street in Sedgewick this Thursday, Edmonton’s premier brass band the Brasstactics are gearing up to bring their patented craziness to our beautiful Main Street. Playing everything from AC/DC to Dr. Dre, the band aims to provide a crash course in human culture and are always on the search for a new venue in which to demonstrate their skills.

Main Street will be closed to vehicular traffic at 12pm with setup of the market to be ongoing throughout the afternoon. A huge number of vendors have signed up to take part in the event which proved to be very successful in the past.

The Town of Sedgewick will be sponsoring free caricature sketches drawn by one of Alberta’s premier caricature artists. Drawings will be available between 4pm and 6pm only and will be drawn on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Vendors will be ready to sell at 4pm sharp and the market will go on until 7pm.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 22-08 – 07; 03; 992 2523

Acting in their role as the Municipal Planning Commission, members of Council approved Development Permit 2022-08 with no further conditions for the construction of a commercial

pole shed as an accessory building within the Light Industrial Business District on lands legally described as Plan 992 2523; Block 03; Lot 07.

POLICY 22/21 – PROPERTY DAMAGE OR INJURY COMPENSATION POLICY

Council approved Policy 22-21, the Property Damage or Injury Compensation Policy, as presented.  The purpose of the policy is to establish that any payment in respect of property damage or bodily injury made by the Town of Sedgewick is contingent upon the Town being determined to be legally liable.

POLICY 22/22 – POLICY AND BYLAW REVIEW POLICY

Council approved Policy 22-22, the Policy and Bylaw Review Policy, as presented.  The purpose of the policy is to provide the best understanding of the intent of Council through the periodic review of its Policies and Bylaws.

CAPITAL BUDGET – 2022 AMENDED

Council approved an amended and updated version of the 2022 Capital Budget.  The changes include an increase to the budget for replacing the raw water lines at the water treatment plant and $80,000 for water valve repairs.

PUBLIC WORKS – INCREASED STAFFING

Council approved that a job description be prepared for a third public works position and be brought back to Council for review with the cost of the position to be included in the preparation of the 2023 operating budget.

The Town of Sedgewick is currently recruiting for the position of Chief Administrative Officer.

Council is seeking a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) that will embrace the community and welcome the
objective of growing, promoting, and helping develop the Town along with its regional municipal partners. It is preferred the new CAO reside within or near the town. The CAO will report to Council and will be responsible for implementing Council’s direction and vision and be accountable for administration, operations and finances for the town.

The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) is responsible for providing corporate leadership for the general
management and stewardship of the municipality. An ideal CAO should be self-motivated, resourceful,
innovative, and a collaborative leader. In addition to having mature tact and diplomacy skills, they will have the ability to build trusting relationships. They will have exceptional interpersonal skills and the capacity to work cohesively with elected officials, residents, community organizations, industry, agencies, businesses, and other internal and external stakeholders including residents.

For more information, see the opportunity profile here

The Flagstaff Fresh Market is less than 2 weeks away and a number of handmade and multilevel marketing businesses are putting in their final preparations for the big event. Flagstaff Fresh Markets strive to live up to their vison statement of “to serve our local communities with quality, locally farmed and focused products, while supporting growth of prospering businesses and entrepreneurs in the Flagstaff Region”.

The event will be held on Thursday, August 25th from 4pm to 7pm on Main Street in Sedgewick. 47th Street will be barricaded off from vehicular traffic starting at 12pm so that set up can proceed. Vendors will be allowed to start selling their wares at 4pm sharp. In addition to a great shopping experience there will also be family entertainment offered for the duration of the market.

The Brasstactics, who many sports fans will recognize as being the official brass band of the Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Elks will be tearing up Main Street from the start to the end of the market. Touting themselves as Edmonton’s premier brass party band, The Brasstactics serve up hot throwbacks from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s, and guarantee you’ll dance and sing along.

In addition to live music, a professional caricature artist will be drawing free caricatures from 4pm to 6pm. This is a great opportunity to grab the kids and have a family ‘portrait’ done that you will treasure for years to come.

For more information on the market, go to https://flagstaffcrafted.ca/

MUNICIPAL PLANNING COMMISSION – DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 22-05

Council, in their role as the Municipal Planning Commission, approved development permit 22-05 for the development of a detached garage in the R1A district allowing for the variance of 10’ wall height and a 16’ peak.

TAX SALE 2022 – RESERVE BID AND CONDITIONS

Council set the reserve bid for roll #30001291 000 at $80,550 and for roll #50019218 700 at $153,660 for a public auction for the purpose of tax recover to occur on August 25^th.  Conditions of the sale include the properties being sold on an “as is” and “where is” basis, that a deposit of 10% required at the time of sale with the remainder due within 30 days.  The auction will be advertised in the July 15^th edition of the Alberta Gazette and the August 10^th edition of the Community Press.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 22-04 – 05P-09; 07; 3825P

As a property within a Direct Control district, Council approved the change of use of the property to include the use as a commercial water fill station with the station to be treated in the same manner as the Town of Sedgewick’s bulk loading station including the fee charged for the water.

SIDEWALK REPLACEMENT PROGRAM – 2022 PRIORITIES

Council approved the sidewalk replacement priority list for 2022 with repairs to be made at 5021 48^th Street, 4845 50^th Street and the curb and gutter on the west side of the 5100 block of 50^th Street.  Estimated cost of repairs is between $30,000 and $35,000.

RECREATION FUNDING COMMITTEE – 2022 ALLOCATIONS

Council approved the Recreation Funding Committee’s recommendations regarding the distribution of $104,142 in recreation funding which is originally allocated by Flagstaff County to the Sedgewick and District Agricultural Society.

FLAGSTAFF SCOTTISH CLUB – REQUEST FOR DONATION

Council respectfully declined the Flagstaff Scottish Club’s request to waive the fees to rent the stage.  The Town passed Policy 18-08, the Portable Stage Rental Policy in August of 2018 which establishes guidelines for the rental of the stage to local non-profit and community groups.  The policy affirms a fee of $25/panel for local groups compared to the regular rate of $80/panel.

BYLAW 594 – AMENDMENT #3 TO THE FEES AND CHARGES BYLAW

Council gave all three readings to Bylaw 594, a bylaw which amends the Fees and Charges Bylaw.  The amending bylaw authorizes that any property deemed by the development authority as a commercial water fill station be charged the same rate for water as the Town of Sedgewick’s bulk loading station.

SEDGEWICK KILLAM NATURAL GAS SYSTEM – SCADA

Council approved installing SCADA remote software capability in the Town’s natural gas RMO station for $12,000 with funding to come from unrestricted reserves.

WATER TREATMENT PLANT – RAW WATER FLOW

Council ratified that a temporary raw water line be installed at the water treatment plant and that a complete network leak detection be performed at a cost of $60,000 to come from unrestricted reserves.  Council also approved an increase in cost to the raw water pipe replacement project from $200,000 to $420,000 with funding to come though an amendment to the Town’s Municipal Sustainability Fund grant application.

Today, June 8th, is the notice of assessment date as set by the Town’s assessor. Combined tax and assessment notices were sent out to property owners on May 31st. If you have not received yours, it is important that you call our office at (780) 384-3504.

If you are not happy with the assessed value of your property, complete a Property Assessment Request for Information form and our assessor will review and look for errors. If you are still not satisfied, you can start the appeal process by completing an Assessment Review Board Complaint prior to the deadline of August 8th.

A complaint fee of $50 per roll number is required for LARB (residential) complaints and $650 per roll number for CARB (non-residential) complaints. Fees are refunded should the board make a decision in your favour.

The clerk will assist you on how to prepare for the hearing. You are responsible for gathering information proving your assessment is unfair or inaccurate. This would include using similar comparison properties to make your case.

If you are one of the many who have downloaded the Town of Sedgewick mobile app, it’s time for an update! The Town of Sedgewick has upgraded the app by providing two new features – Council Highlights and a social media message board.

The update is available for free by visiting the IOS App Store or Google Play and by searching for “Sedgewick”.